A Formidable Foe, the Avenger!

“RAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!”

Using 【Grasshopper】, I step in with the highest speed I've ever shown and slip inside the Golden Bear's guard!

“Sei!!”

And then I kick off the ground, leap up, and punch its thick chest with all my might!

“Guooh......!!”

A strike with magic power poured in, poured in—【Magic Strike】.

Even the Golden Bear, with its thick fur to protect it, seems to feel my blow, and a groan of pain echoes from above my head.

But this Golden Bear possesses a fighting spirit to match its imposing looks.

Without flinching from the pain in the slightest, it throws its four legs into the air and unleashes a body press to crush me!

Leaping sideways with 【Grasshopper】 again, I dodge it by a hair.

“GUOOOOOOOOOH!!!”

The Golden Bear notices at once that I've gotten away.

This time, it sets its massive body rolling sideways like a roller and bears down to crush me!

Caught up in it, one great nishakasha tree after another falls with a mishi mishi.

It's spinning really fast!!

Desperately I jump back again and again, retreat, retreat, retreat!

All the while, I keep sniping with 【Infinite Pebbles】 at the monsters trying to get into the base through the holes in the defensive wall.

Luckily, the monsters have been thinning out.

For some reason, those who had been attacking like mad until a moment ago are starting to calm down little by little.

<It seems the stimulant is wearing off. Once the monsters calm down, they won't come anywhere near you and this Golden Bear fighting.>

Well, that's good.

So all that's left is for me to deal with this big lug.

Simple.

“Guooh!!!”

“!!”

And then!

The Golden Bear, which had been rolling sideways, suddenly let out a scream and leaped high into the air!

And this time, it started spinning vertically!

Spinning round and round at ultra-high speed while floating in the air, its form glitters in the sunlight, looking just like one super-giant ball of light!

“RAAAAAAAAAH!!!”

I instinctively change the target of my 【Infinite Pebbles】 to the Slaughter Golden Bear Ball to intercept it, but my pebbles are blocked by its fur and rotation, completely neutralized.

The instant they touch it, they're blasted away with a chun! or some such sound.

“Ha!!”

All I can do on my end is dodge, again and again.

By a hair, I get out of the Slaughter Golden Bear Ball's path.

ZUGAAAAN!!!

With a tremendous roar, the Golden Bear's body slams into the ground.

Dust billows up!

Even I couldn't have punched that back.

It was tremendously powerful.

But.

You took your eyes off me.

That's a bad move, Golden Bear!

The Golden Bear leaps up with a roar and drops out of its ball form.

It lands on all fours with a zun!, blowing away the dust.

“Guooh!?”

But I'm not there!

Because when it hit the ground and threw up the dust, this time I had leaped high into the sky.

I've fought enemies far bigger than me many times.

The Poison Topopolock Queen, for example.

The Togodo Commander, for example.

What I learned from them is a standard tactic.

Put simply, it's an easy one.

Big guys' weak spot is the back their hands can't reach!!

Yes, the instant the Golden Bear screamed and blew away the dust, I had leaped onto its back!

And I pour magic power into my fist, pour, and pour!

I punch its back with all my might!!

“GUOOOOOOOOOH!!?”

My fist, thrown to shatter its spine, sadly didn't manage that, but it seems to have caused the Golden Bear plenty of pain.

The Golden Bear let out a scream-like cry, unlike any before!

But I'm not done yet.

【Magic Strike】, 【Magic Strike】, 【Magic Strike】!!

I hammer in high-power blows in rapid succession!

“Guoooh!? GUOOOOOOOOOH!!?”

The Golden Bear twists and shakes its body to try and throw me off, but I have 【Silverfish】!

Thanks to fantasy magic-power control technique, both my feet are stuck fast to the Golden Bear's back and will never come loose!

<That's the way, Emi! Let's keep at it and whittle down this bear's stamina!>

Omake-sama cheers in my head!

You don't have to tell me!

I'll kill this bear just like this!

Beat it to death!!

“Guohooo...... Oaaaaah!!”

But then!

This Golden Bear was a cut above the ones I've dealt with until now.

It had...... a way to shake off my attack and stop it.

“Oah, oah...... GUOOOOOOOOOH!!!”

The Golden Bear let out a strange-sounding growl, unlike any before, and it was the very next instant!

“Ah?”

A Bachiin! sound rings out.

And my consciousness, as I clung to its back pounding the Golden Bear, suddenly...... went out.

◇ ◇ ◇

When I came to again, I had fallen off the Golden Bear's back and was in the middle of flying through the air.

What...... happened?

A blackout of a few seconds.

Did I, faint......?

<Emi! In front, in front!!>

At Omake-sama's scream, my consciousness is rapidly pulled back into combat mode!

Closing in before me as I fall toward the ground is the Golden Bear's thick, mighty arm!

“Ku!!”

I instinctively curl my body in mid-air, 【Body Strengthening】, 【Body Strengthening】, 【Body Strengthening】!!

The Golden Bear punched me with all its might, as if to slam me into the ground from above at an angle!

ZUGAAAAAAAAAAH!!!

With a roar, I slammed into the ground, denting it, and the force sent my body bouncing like a ball this time.

The damage is heavy.

It hurts.

It hurts too much.

My whole body is screaming.

But.

“......Hmph!”

I wrench back control of my body as it bounces off the ground and spins through the air, and plant both feet on the earth!

And while spitting out blood, I glare at the Golden Bear!

I steel myself.

A pitch-black haze erupts from all over my body.

I can't afford to lose.

I won't die.

I'll protect, the base!

“Gururu......”

The Golden Bear glares back at me, stubborn and still not dead, and growls with dissatisfaction.

That Golden Bear, though...... looked different from before.

Its body.

That golden body.

Wrapped in lightning that ran with a bachi, bachi.

......was glowing white!

A giant Golden Bear, glowing white and wrapped in lightning......

I think it feels pretty holy, and it's cool.